All work has dignity, and all workers deserve to be treated with respect by their employers. Trade unions play a decisive role in improving working conditions, safety and wages – yet some governments and employers systematically abuse the right of workers to join existing unions or form new ones. PSI works actively to support the right of workers to free collective bargaining, and to help stop abuses when they occur.

The ensuing trade deficits and manufacturing job losses cast a shadow over this trade deal and led all three major candidates for the U.S. presidency in 2016 to reject the TPP and promise to “fix” NAFTA. Trump is following through on his promise, but that is not the whole story.

The Philippines is about to become the first Asian country to ratify the so called "Labour Relations Public Service Convention (1978)", which deals with the protection of the right to organise and procedures for determining conditions of employment in the Public Service. This victory comes after 7 years of work led by PSI affiliates and other public sector unions in the country.

Extract from the Civil Society Report "Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2017" -the new global report assesses how privatization and corporate capture have become obstacles to progress under the 2030 Agenda.

PSI affiliates in the US and Canada comment on the NAFTA renegotiations submitted to the United States Trade Representative (USTR). "We need a new approach to trade that puts the interests of working people and the environment first. We need an economy that puts a high priority on jobs, living standards, sustainability, and labor rights." Click on the image below to read it in full.

In what may be one of the largest settlements of its kind in Canada for employees who have suffered a workplace breach of Charter rights, CUPE education workers have reached an agreement on “remedy”, or financial compensation, with the Ontario government.

In the aftermath of the failed coup that took place last July, the Turkish government has arrested and detained thousands of workers and trade unionists. Public employees have been summarily suspended or dismissed. PSI calls on affiliates to contribute to a solidarity fund to help trade unions and workers operate under these difficult conditions. #SolidarityTurkey

On 17 October a platform for a EU-wide whistleblower protection was launched by 44 organizations calling on the European Commission to urgently take action on bringing forward proposals on EU-wide legislation on whistleblower protection with a broad scope of groups and areas of activities protected.

Trade unions in Korea are campaigning for the Park Geun-hye government’s proposed legislation for a discriminatory performance-related pay and termination system for public sector workers to be cancelled. They held a huge general strike and rally on 27 September and are now asking for international solidarity support.

The Liberian regime has no respect for basic Human Rights; or Workers Rights!

In Liberia, the government has arbitrarily fired health workers who were on the front lines of the fight against Ebola; simply because they were trying to ensure adequate protection and working conditions for public workers. Before you consider traveling to or investing in Liberia, think about whether you really want to support a regime which treats health heroes as disposable goods.

Learn more about how to stand up for the rights of Liberian workers by watching the video above and signing the petition below!

PSI calls all its affiliates to support the Korean Public Services and Transportation Workers Union (KPTU) Vice President, Cho Sung-deok, who is facing trial in Korea and for whom the prosecutor’s office requested a prison sentence of 5 years.

In his upcoming report to the UN General Assembly to be presented in October 2016, the Special Rapporteur will examine the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association (FOAA) for disenfranchised workers.

On 19 May, health workers in Tunisia, members of PSI affiliate Fédération Générale de la Santé (FGS), organised a general strike in all the country’s hospitals (general, regional and teaching hospitals) following the deadlock in negotiations between the union and the Tunisian Health Ministry.

On 1 April, PSI affiliate KPTU-EdSol and other education support workers' unions will go on a 24-hours strike calling for improvements in working conditions and job security for all education support workers. Show your support for the strike - #SupportKPTUEducationWorkers

Sanitation worker Mehmet Kaplan, father of three children and member of PSI affiliate DİSK/Genel-İş Union in Cizre Municipality (Şırnak), was shot dead on 17 January in front of his house while another worker was seriously injured and a further three arrested in separate incidents.

UPDATE 10 December 2015: KCTU President Han Sang-gyun is in detention after handing himself over to the police. Trade unions in South Korea are facing a barrage of restrictions and repression from the government of President Park, Geun-hye. Please write a protest letter to President Park and to the Korean embassy in your country, denouncing the crackdown on trade unions and disregard for freedom of peaceful assembly and association in Korea.

PSI condemns police raids on 6 and 21 November 2015 on the Korean Federation of Public Service and Transport workers’ Union (KPTU), which the government carried out in an attempt to discourage workers from standing up for their rights.

Staff at London's National Gallery, organised by PSI affiliate the Public and commercial services union (PCS), have been on strike since February 2015 following the Gallery's decision to privatise almost all staff, including those who look after the paintings and help the gallery's six million annual visitors.

The United Collective of Workers, Social and Indigenous Organisations of Ecuador held a national strike on 13 August to demand the Ecuadorian government to rectify their restrictive rights policy. Since then, trade unions and indigenous and civil society organizations have continued to demonstrate in Quito, the Amazon region and the south of the country.

Only days before Guatemala is due for discussion at the ILO’s Governing Body, President General Otto Pérez Molina, takes the unprecedented initiative of prohibiting the negotiation of collective agreements in the public sector, on the grounds that austerity measures are needed to deal with a massive fiscal deficit.

Extract from the Civil Society Report "Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2017" -the new global report assesses how privatization and corporate capture have become obstacles to progress under the 2030 Agenda.

The passport for worker and union rights in South Africa has been developed by PSI and its affiliated trade unions in order to provide migrant workers with essential information related to their rights, recruitment, documentation and employment before they migrate to South Africa. It also covers those migrant workers already working in the country.

This policy brief on Trade Union Rights was produced for the PSI Executive Board EB-148 held at the ILO in Geneva (Switzerland) on 19-20 May 2016. Its objective is for EB-148 to note activities in the area of trade union rights. The brief is available in English, French, Spanish, German, Swedish and Japanese.

Trade union rights violations are widespread in Africa and the Mena region, ranging from highly restrictive legislation on the right to organize in the public sector, interference in collective bargaining agreements, heavy fines and imprisonment for trade union activities and strikes.

This document was published by the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA) with the support of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) through the Union FES Project, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the Programme of Workers’ Activities (ACTRAV) of the ILO.

“Everyone must enjoy full access to decent work, education, health, safety and peace,” says Rosa Pavanelli, PSI General Secretary. On International Human Rights Day, PSI calls on its affiliates and activists to unite and stand firm against the attack on core labour rights and freedoms.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) Handbook on Core Labour Standards 2005, committed to comply with the internationally recognized core labour standards (CLS) and related labour laws in the design, formulation and operation of its loans to the developing countries. However the workers in the projects have identified union busting, harassment or physical violence against unions and discrimination and dismissals and other work-related anti-union/worker actions etc. in the projects and the compliance according to the CLS handbook is not strictly observed.

A new 122-page ITUC legal report, confirming that the right to strike is protected under international law, as employers try to overturn decades of jurisprudence at the International Labour Organisation.

Algerian independent trade unionists attending the International Labor Conference in Geneva this year, say it is high time to finally put pressure on the Algerian government to stop the brutal violations of the human rights of workers who seek to exercise their right to join and form independent trade unions.

PSI is jointly organising a panel debate with the Municipal Workers’ Confederation of Argentina (CTM) and the Confederation of Municipal Workers of the Americas (CONTRAM-ISP AMERICAS) on the issue of Collective Bargaining in the Municipal Public sector focusing on the experiences and challenges from the Province of Buenos Aires and specifically on Act 14656 on Labour Relations and Collective Bargaining.

During the People’s Forum on BRICS on 13 October from 14-17h, TUED (which PSI is part of) and TNI are co-organising a workshop called “State of Power: Energy Democracy and Labour perspectives”. PSI’s affiliated union representatives will be intervening in the workshop that will be held in Goa, India.

The Tripartite Meeting of Experts to Develop Guidance on Fair Recruitment is being held at the ILO in Geneva on 5-7 September. The objective is to adopt ILO guidelines on fair recruitment, encompassing both cross-border and national recruitment. PSI Migration Programme Coordinator, Genevieve Gencianos, delivered a speech on 5 September at the opening session of the meeting.

PSI and global trade unionists walked for social justice in Geneva. Around the world, populist politicians are raising the flag of racism and xenophobia to hide the fact that they represent the interests of the few, not the many. PSI calls for global solidarity with refugees and the respect of their human rights.

The PSI/EPSU-ILO Roundtable on Labour Migration and Trade Union Rights is taking place in Yerevan, Armenia on 24-25 November. This meeting will be held in English, Russian and Armenian with the participation of PSI/EPSU affiliates, ILO Moscow ACTRAV and invited guests, experts and PSI staff.

The Meeting will bring together participants from 32 Governments of ILO member States, 16 Employer participants and 16 Worker participants nominated by the Employers’ group and the Workers’ group of the Governing Body respectively, as well as observers from the three groups.

An ILO technical mission will visit Ecuador on 26-30 January 2015 to examine first-hand a series of complaints received by the Committee of Application of Standards (CAS) on the working conditions of Ecuadorian public sector workers since 2007.

1. One-day workshop for executive members of the young workers’ group and young activists. November 18, 2014 at DPSU headquarters – 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Before an audience of more than 140 women members of the PSI, the President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, called on the organisation to continue fighting for approval of an ILO resolution on the elimination of violence against women at the workplace and in public employment.

The Asia Pacific Regional Forum on Trade Union rights will come up with an Action Plan for the region for 2015. PSI affiliate leaders will share experience on campaigns for freedom of association, collective bargaining and the right to strike. Special attention will be devoted to the impact of privatisation and precarious forms of employment in the public sector, fire-fighters’ right to organise and campaigning for the ratification and implementation of international labour standards.

The Conference will be held in Geneva (Switzerland), at the Palais des Nations and ILO headquarters. Please note that Tuesday 27th May will be devoted to preparatory meetings requiring the attendance of the tripartite members of national delegations to the Conference.

Representatives of PSI affiliates met in Geneva on 25-26 May 2015 for the PSI World Women’s Committee. In this interview, Bohee Choi, Vice President of the KCTU Korean Public Service and Transport Workers’ Union (KPTU), talks about the precarious work situation of education support workers in Korea.

In this video, Juneia Batista, WOC Chair, talks about the situation in her home country, Brazil. She says that 2015 has started poorly, with the government introducing new measures to allow foreign capital into the Brazilian health system.

Morna Ballantyne, Public Service Alliance of Canada explains that the PSAC has launched an important campaign in defence of the sick leave provisions enshrined in their collective bargaining agreement.

Representatives of PSI affiliates met in Geneva on 27-28 May 2015 for the PSI Executive Board meeting. In this video, Isolde Kunkel-Weber, Ver.di, Germany, says that her union is confronting cuts to public services. But even when services are privatised, the union makes its voice heard and demonstrates how important public services are for society. Ver.di is actively campaigning to demonstrate that kindergarten workers’ jobs need to be revalued in terms of status and salary, highlighting the importance of their role in caring for and educating children. (This video is in German)

Representatives of PSI affiliates met in Geneva on 27-28 May 2015 for the PSI Executive Board meeting. In this interview, Omar Autón, Unión del Personal Civil de la Nación, Argentina, describes the situation in Latin America. Unions are fighting for trade union rights, the right to strike, unionization, collective bargaining, and to obtain quality public services. The video is in Spanish.

Representatives of PSI affiliates met in Geneva on 27-28 May 2015 for the PSI Executive Board meeting. In this interview, Adeniyi Peters Adeyemi, Non-Academic Staff Union of Education and Associated Institutions (NASU), Nigeria, speaks about privatisation, reforms and Ebola. He explains how Nigerian people have suffered under privatisation, and how in view of the consequences of privatisation, they are now joining in the unions’ opposition and asking the government to fix the problems. He also explains how Nigeria achieved good results in tackling the Ebola crisis.

Representatives of PSI affiliates met in Geneva on 27-28 May 2015 for the PSI Executive Board meeting. Tomio Ishihara, JPSU, Japan, explains that in Japan, public employees’ basic worker rights, including the right to collective bargaining, are restricted. JPSU is running a campaign for workers’ rights, appealing to the ILO and lobbying the Japanese government.

Public Services International and trade union leaders from around the world joined in Geneva for the "Route of Shame" on 4th June 2014, calling for the right to strike for all workers and shaming countries where workers' and trade union rights are violated. Quality public services and social justice are key to achieving equality, equity and dignity. On the same day, PSI affiliates in Guatemala, Panama, Buenos Aires, Lima, Santiago de Chile, Paraguay, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Tokyo and Seoul also organized "Route of Shame" actions. International solidarity makes us stronger!

The Route of Shame is a solidarity action organized by Public Services International, calling for the right to strike and shaming countries that violate workers' rights. On 4th June 2014, the second edition of The Route of Shame brought together trade unionists from all over the world and all sectors in Geneva and in Guatemala, Buenos Aires, Paraguay, Sao Paolo, Panama,Tokyo, Indonesia, Santiago de Chile, Lima and other cities (more updates soon).

Watch this interview with Ayuba Wabba, President of the PSI-affiliated Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN). Brother Wabba has been selected to join a constitutional review committee considering health-related rights for the drafting of Nigeria's new constitution.

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Public Services International is a global trade union federation representing 20 million working women and men who deliver vital public services in 154 countries. PSI champions human rights, advocates for social justice and promotes universal access to quality public services. PSI works with the United Nations system and in partnership with labour, civil society and other organisations.